Creating a customized, built-in bookshelf can easily cost upwards of $1,000. For blogger Noz Nozawa, this was not a practical option.

As an interior designer, Nozawa knew she could be resourceful and virtually make the same thing for less. Using a few IKEA Billy bookcases she bought off Craigslist, Nozawa created a faux built-in library for a total of $220, or one-fifth of what she would have spent if she wanted a real one.

We spoke with Nozawa and she taught us how she created this ingenious home library. Here's how you can make one too.

Buy some BILLY Bookcases from IKEA

Nozawa purchased her multiple bookcases through Craigslist. By incorporating different kinds of bookshelves, including 6-shelved ones and one with a built-in cabinet, the Billy bookcases came together to form a harmonious home library.

Starting at $49.99, you can also mix and match the different Billy varieties for a customized look.

Paint and assemble the baseboard

Nozawa's intent was to create an artificial baseboard that looked like it went around the bookshelves, thus creating a built-in effect. In order to do that, she painted the plywood to match the white strip on her wall.

Once the pieces were dry, Nozawa arranged the shelves in the way that she wanted, placing the bookshelf with the cabinet in the center of her home library. She then stacked the bookshelves on top of the baseboards.